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Lindenwood University professor Rebecca Panagos was presented an Emerson Award for Excellence in Teaching in a ceremony on Sunday, November 19, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Clayton.

Panagos, who is hearing impaired, was recognized for her work in the teacher education program at Lindenwood University, where she specializes in elementary reading programs and special education.

Panagos has a Ph.D. in special education from the University of Missouri—Columbia. She has been a professor at Lindenwood since 1996, prior to which she worked for 20 years at the Special School District of St. Louis as a school counselor, vocational evaluator/counselor and resource teacher. Panagos specializes in special education and elementary reading programs.

Dr. Rick Boyle, dean of the faculty, said that Panagos specializes in mentoring students seeking certification in special education and elementary education and that she is known throughout Missouri for her work in reading and special education.

“She is current and relevant and is known around the state as one of the most knowledgeable reading and special education teachers in Missouri,” Boyle said. “She is very deserving of the Emerson award. Dedication to her teaching and her students and the profession as a whole—she embodies all of that.”

Boyle said that Panagos’ hearing impairment makes her achievements and her day-to-day work all the more inspiring. Part of her work, he said, is to take her elementary reading methods program to schools, where part of the curriculum is to take the lessons immediately into class with elementary school students.